Dolphin Video Shows How Clever The Animals Really Are [VIDEO]

Dolphins are among the most intelligent creatures in the animal kingdom, and this dolphin video shows just how crafty they can be.

The video shows a pod of dolphins on the Gold Coast coast of Western Australia stealing fish bait from drum lines that are currently being used to catch sharks. The dolphins are clever enough to only take the end of the fish that isn’t hooked to the drum line.

The Queensland Government in Western Australia began using the baited drum lines in late January to catch sharks off the coast. The controversial Shark Control Program is intended to make the waters safer from sharks, but has drawn a lot of criticism from the public.

When the sharks get hooked onto the drum lines, fishermen come by in boats and drag them along the water and kill them using an electric shock.The Queensland Government’s Shark Control Program website says that fresh bait is attached to the drum lines every 21 days, so the dolphins may have found a relatively easy way to get a quick meal.

Dolphins also use their intelligence to find clever ways to get stoned. Really. Last year, we reported on a dolphin video that showed how some pods of juvenile and adult dolphins will pass around toxic puffer fish in order to get high. The puffer fish contain a neurotoxin that can produce a narcotic effect if ingested in small doses. The dolphins know this, and chew ever so slightly to get just enough dope in their systems. Apparently, they also sometimes stare at their own reflections in the surface of the water. Guess teenage dolphins aren’t that different than human teenagers after all.